Category: Meals

  • Whole sea bass in white wine

    Better than Butter Fry Light
    1 whole large sea-bass, cleaned, but with head and tail left on (approximately 1 kilo)
    200ml dry white wine
    2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
    handful of parsley finely chopped, reserving a few sprigs to garnish
    1 tsp dry mustard powder
    salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1. Spray an oval oven-proof dish, large enough to contain the fish, with Fry light, and do the same with a piece of foil big enough to cover. If the tail of the fish comes over the edge of the dish, wrap it in sprayed foil.

    2. Make a few diagonal slits in the upper surface of the fish, down to the bone. Into these slits stuff a little chopped shallot, parsley and seasoning. Stuff a little more of these into the body of the fish. Put half the remaining chopped parsley and shallot into the dish and lay the fish on top. Sprinkle the remainder on top.

    3. Mix the mustard powder with a little water, then add the white wine and an equal quantity of water, and pour over fish. Grind a little more pepper on top.

    4. Cover with the ‘buttered’ foil and bake in a 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 oven for 30 minutes, basting with the liquid every 10 minutes or so. If too much liquid evaporates, add a little boiling water

    5. For the last 15-20 minutes, remove foil so that the top skin of the fish can brown a little. Cook until the flesh flakes easily. Serve in the dish, garnished with parsley sprigs.

    Tip: Good served with a colourful platter of new potatoes with mint, baby carrots, green beans, spinach or any of your favourite Free vegetables

  • Tuna and pasta bake

    1 x 198g/7oz can tuna in brine
    juice of ½ lemon
    4 spring onions, finely chopped
    1 x 398g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
    1 tbsp capers, rinsed (optional)
    681g/1½lb leftover cooked pasta tubes or shapes
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    28g/1oz fresh white breadcrumbs
    Fry Light, for spraying
    2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

    1. Drain the tuna and flake with a fork into small chunks. Put the tuna in a shallow ovenproof dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top.

    2. Add the spring onions, chopped tomatoes, capers (if using) and cooked pasta. Mix lightly together and season with salt and pepper.

    3. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top and spray lightly with Fry Light.

    4. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/Gas 6 for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

  • Three color carbonara

    300g dried rigatoni pasta
    150g savoy cabbage, finely shredded
    175g smoked back bacon, trimmed of all visible fat, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
    1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
    100g closed cup mushrooms thinly sliced
    200g frozen peas, defrosted
    2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
    3 large egg yolks
    100g quark
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    175g sweet and crunchy salad, to serve

    1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta and boil for 9 minutes. Add the cabbage for the final 4 minutes.

    2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a non stick frying pan for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add the peas and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute to heat through.

    3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and quark together with some seasoning.

    4. Ladle some of the pasta cooking water into a cup, reserve and drain the pasta and cabbage. Place them back in the saucepan. Add the bacon and vegetable mixture and stir through. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg and quark mixture, adding 2-3 tablespoons of the reserve cooking water to loosen the sauce a little. Serve immediately with the sweet and crunchy salad.

    Tip: Don’t be afraid of using the green chilli in this recipe, it’s very mild and brings out the flavour of all the ingredients with no added heat. Even children won’t notice it’s there.

  • Sweet and sour chicken

    6 skinless chicken breast fillets, very thinly sliced
    6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    3 tbsp light soy sauce
    low calorie cooking spray
    1 tbsp dark soy sauce
    2 tbsp sweetener
    1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    1 tsp paprika
    ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
    100ml passata
    spring onion slivers and lime wedges, to garnish

    1. Place the chicken in a shallow ceramic dish. Sprinkle over the spring onions and garlic, season well and pour over the light soy sauce. Toss to mix well, cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

    2. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low calorie spray and place over a high heat. Add the chicken mixture and cook for 5-6 minutes and then add the dark soy sauce, sweetener, vinegar, paprika, 5-spice powder and passata. Stir to mix well and bring the mixture to the boil.

    3. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Check the seasoning before serving garnished with spring onion sliver and lime wedges to squeeze over.

    Tip: This dish would also work brilliantly with pork.

  • Sticky chicken

    3 tbsp honey
    3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    3 tbsp soy sauce
    680g chicken breasts, cut into 1″ cubes

    1. Mix together the honey, vinegar and soy sauce. Toss the chicken cubes in the mix to coat thoroughly, and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

    2. Heat a frying pan, add the chicken cubes and marinade. Cook on a high heat for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid has absorbed into the chicken. Stir regularly to prevent burning.

    3. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, serve immediately on a bed of crispy salad.

  • Speedy chicken and vegetable rice

    400g cooked, skinless chicken breast, roughly shredded
    425g cold, cooked white long grain rice
    300g pack crunchy stir-fry vegetables
    4tbsp light soy sauce
    2 eggs, lightly beaten
    6 spring onions, finely sliced
    1tsp grated root ginger
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or grated
    One calorie cooking spray
    spring onion slivers, to garnish

    1. Spray a large non-stick frying pan or wok with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and stir-fry vegetables and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.

    2. Turn the heat to high and stir in the cooked rice and shredded chicken. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until piping hot.

    3. Add the soy sauce, stir-fry for 30 seconds and then drizzle over the beaten egg. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the egg has scrambled.

    4. Remove from the heat and stir in the spring onions. Serve immediately garnished with spring onion slivers.

    Tip: Chef’s tip: This recipe would also work well with basmati rice.

  • Seafood paella

    2 onions, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, chopped
    568ml/1pt chicken stock made with Bovril
    227g/8oz tomatoes, skinned and chopped
    340g/12oz long grain rice, dried
    a few strands of saffron or ½ tsp powdered saffron
    113g/4oz raw tiger prawns
    57g/2oz thin green beans, trimmed and halved
    113g/4oz cooked chicken, skinned and diced
    170g/6oz live mussels
    1 red pepper
    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 tbsp chopped parsley

    1. Put the onion, garlic and 284ml/½ pt of the stock in a heavy, deep frying pan. Cover, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, until the onions are tender and golden. Stir in the tomatoes and rice and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

    2. Bring the remaining stock to the boil and add to the pan with the saffron. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy and tender. Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, add the prawns, green beans and chicken.

    3. Meanwhile, scrub the mussels under running water, discarding any that are cracked or open. Pop them into a pan with a little boiling water, cover with a lid and cook over a high heat, shaking occasionally, until the mussels open. Throw away any that fail to open.

    4. Grill the red pepper under a preheated grill until charred, then remove the skin and seeds. Cut the flesh into thin strips. Season the paella with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with the mussels and red pepper strips, sprinkled with parsley.

  • Roast turkey rolls with parma ham and sun dried tomatoes

    57g/2oz dry pack sun-dried tomatoes
    1 large red onion
    1 tbsp lemon juice
    15g pack fresh basil leaves
    8 wafer thin slices Parma ham
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    8 flat turkey breast steaks

    1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, pour over 284ml/0.5pint boiling water and set aside for 15 minutes.

    2. Roughly chop the onion, toss in the lemon juice and place in a food processor. Reserving a few basil leaves for garnish, add the remainder of the onion along with 4 slices of ham. Season well.

    3. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid, add to the onion and blend until finely chopped and bound together.

    4. Arranging the turkey on the work surface, spread the stuffing evenly over one side of each steak and roll each up from the shortest side. Place in a shallow baking dish, seam-side down, pour in the reserved soaking liquid, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

    5. Slice the remaining ham lengthwise. Remove the foil and drain the turkey. Transfer the rolls to a baking sheet line with parchment paper and top each with a piece of ham. Continue to bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and the ham is crispy. Drain and stand for 5 minutes before serving, sliced and garnished with the reserved basil leaves.

    Tip: For best results, the turkey steaks should be about 1cm/0.5in thick. If you need to make them thinner, cover in clingfilm and flatten them using the end of a rolling pin.

  • Roast pork with all the trimmings

    Fry Light, for spraying
    4 sprigs of rosemary
    4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
    1 x 567g/1¼lb lean boned leg or loin of pork
    salt and ground black pepper
    800g new potatoes in their skins
    Free vegetables, including baby carrots, runner beans, sugar snap peas and mashed swede
    8 tbsp of apple sauce
    568ml/1 pint gravy made with gravy granules (as directed with no added fat)

    1. Spray a roasting pan with Fry Light and arrange the rosemary and garlic in it. Place the pork on top of the herbs and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cover loosely with some foil to help prevent the meat drying out.

    2. Roast in a preheated oven at 200°C/180°Fan/Gas 6 for about 1½ hours, until the pork is nicely browned and cooked right through.

    3. While the pork is cooking prepare the new potatoes and vegetables. Boil, steam or dry roast these as desired.

    4. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside for 5 minutes to rest. During this time, make up the gravy as instructed. When carving the joint make sure that you remove any remaining fat from the slices.

    5. Serve with the boiled potatoes, vegetables, apple sauce and gravy.

  • Roast chicken dinner

    2 large onions
    2 garlic cloves
    a handful each of fresh parsley, thyme, sage & tarragon
    1 lemon
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1½ kg chicken
    one calorie cooking spray
    800g new potatoes
    carrots
    mangetout
    gravy (made without fat), to serve

    1. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Chop the parsley, thyme, sage and tarragon. Grate the lemon zest, cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice.

    2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Make the stuffing. Mix together the onion, garlic, herbs, lemon zest and juice in a bowl. Season well to taste.

    3. Spoon the stuffing into the chicken cavity and place on a roasting tray. Spray the chicken with low calorie cooking spray and season well.

    4. Roast in the oven for 1½ – 1¾ hours or until cooked. (To check if the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the thigh and if the juices run clear, it’s done.) Remove the skin from the chicken and carve. Serve with new potatoes, carrots and mangetout, and the gravy (2½ Syns for ¼pint/142ml)